Research Activities - United Kingdom DEFRA Science and Research - Part 1.

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National Activities - UK



This ITEM summarises some of the Research Activities being supported by DEFRA in the UK

The following projects are included:

Contract	NF0615	Polymers from Crambe
Contract	IF0104	Biodiversity - impacts of new crops
Contract	NF0426	Miscanthus improvement
Contract	NF0430	Miscanthus germplasm

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New polymer plasticisers and stabilisers from UK-grown crambe

The principal objective of this project is to manufacture TWO plasticisers and TWO stabilisers for use in the plastics industry. These additives will be derived from the major fatty acid component of UK-grown crambe using a new manufacturing process. In order to deliver this goal, a consortium has been assembled that comprises a supplier of starting fatty acid (Springdale Crop Synergies Ltd), an additives manufacturer expert in ozonisation and esterification technology (Warwick International Ltd) and an end-user of the polymer additives that will be produced (Hydro Polymers Ltd). The industrial participants will be supported in the technology development by the BioComposites Centre (ozonisation/esterification chemistry) and Aston University's Polymer Processing and Performance Research Unit (polymer formulation and processing, characterisation and performance appraisal). The underpinning chemistry is proprietary and has been developed by Warwick International Ltd and BioComposites Centre and is based on clean and green chemistry requiring inputs of only electricity and oxygen gas to generate ozone gas. Di-esters of brassylic acid have been shown in the literature to have performance properties comparable to dioctyl phthalate in the plasticization of polyvinyl chloride but without the toxicity and the risks to human reproduction attributed to the phthalates. These have not found widespread acceptance due to unavailability of brassylic acid in large quantities.

Recent technology developed by BioComposites Centre and Warwick International Ltd has proven the economic and technical utility of ozonisation as a method of deriving di-acids from the fatty acid components of vegetable oil. Brassylic acid may be readily derived from erucic acid, itself the major component fatty acid of crambe oil and high erucic rapeseed oil. Ozonisation of erucic acid is expected to give brassylic acid (and pelargonic acid) in excellent yields on the basis of a large number of experiments carried out with oleic acid at the BioComposites Centre. Subsequent esterification will generate a range of brassylic ester-based plasticisers and stabilisers for polymers. These new non-food crop-based additives will be compounded and melt processed in polymers (PVC formulation for the plasticisers; polypropylene for stabilisers) at Aston University's Polymer Processing and Performance, PPP, Research Unit where their characteristics and performance will be tested, followed by ultimate trials at Hydro Polymers Ltd. This will enable a critical advance that will raise the overall profile and interest in the non-food oil-crop market by delivering alternative plasticizers and stabilisers for the multi-faceted plastics industry derived from natural resources using clean and green chemical processing technology.

Policy relevance

This proposal is of direct relevance to DEFRA's policies as the successful development of this non-food crop based industry has the potential to satisfy policies regarding sustainable development, improvement of countryside management through farming diversification concomitant with reduced economic and environmental risks, including interruption of external supply or climate change.

Use of results

Formulations for commercially important end-use products will be developed whereby the additives are to be both melt processed in the polymers and tested under industrially-recognised conditions/procedures for immediate access and assessment by industry to enhance the fast-track potential for exploitation and commercialisation.

Objectives

The overall AIM of this project concerns the exploitation of timely opportunities for the manufacture (synthesis using low cost green chemistry) of plasticizers and stabilisers for the plastics industry as well as the generation of technical evaluation data and information (processing/fabrication in polymers with developed formulations and characterising performance in terms of efficacy) on the use of new and safer polymer additives produced from renewable resources based on a non-food crop grown in the UK, namely crambe. Application of the results of this project including the synthesis and scaling up of additives based on naturally occurring UK-grown raw materials, their characterization, and the generated technical information of their efficacy in melt processed ('fabricated') polymers (by comparison with current state-of-the art commercial synthetic additives having the same additive function) should demonstrate their suitability for a range of applications, and can be expected to reduce markedly the time-to-market for the exploitation of this generation of new and more environmentally friendly additives in polymers. Indeed, a complete supply chain has been assembled within this project to deliver raw material, processing, efficacy data and end-use application. This should provide the pre-emptive competitive edge to the relevant UK-industries in the fiercely contested global chemical/additive market. The aim of this project is supported by FIVE interlinked major objectives described below.

• Objective 1: To prepare (laboratory and pilot scale) and characterize new polymer stabilisers and plasticizers based on derivatives of crambe oil using modern "green" chemistry and cost-effective commercial methods recently developed in the laboratories of the proposer. The expected achievement is to obtain four products containing plasticiser and stabiliser functions (objective to be realised by BioComposites Centre).
• Objective 2: To develop polymer formulations for use with the newly synthesized additives (obtained from objective 1) required for polymer processing, based on modification of currently used formulations involving commercial products having the same additive function. These formulations will be used to optimize polymer melt processing operations. The expected achievement here is the production of additive-containing processed polymer samples (relevant to industrial lab-scale polymer test samples) suitable for subsequent performance and characterization tests (see objective 3 below) (objective to be realised by PPP Research Unit).
• Objective 3: To conduct a technological evaluation and appraisal of the new additives in well defined melt processed polymer formulations. A state-of-the art industry standard accelerated weathering device will be used for weathering exposure of polymers containing the new UV-stabilizer, and industry-recognised tests and advanced characterization techniques will be used to assess the performance of all four additives in polymer formulations. The expected achievement is to generate critical, industry-recognised, technical data and information on the new stabilisers and plasticizers as to their characteristics and performance in specified polymer formulations (objective to be realised by PPP Research Unit).
• Objective 4: To transfer the laboratory/pilot scale synthetic procedures used for additive production to the industrial scale. The expected achievement is to have developed the technology for upscaling the new additives in order to bring the production methods of the new additives into the market-place and to enable competitive and short lead-time for industrial exploitation and introduction-to-market. (objective to be realised by BioComposites Centre and Warwick International Ltd).
• Objective 5: To transfer the plasticiser and stabiliser additives to industrial end users, initially through the industrial partners in the consortium, but also through other interested groups including academia and public institutes (objective to be realised by PPP Research Unit, BioComposites Centre and Hydro Polymers Ltd).

Time-scale and Cost

• From: 01/07/05 to 30/09/06
• Cost: £199K
• Funded Participants
  Eurofibre Limited
  Hydro Polymers Ltd
  University of Aston
  Warwick International Ltd

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Field-scale Impacts on Biodiversity from New Crops

The UK Government is committed to increasing energy security and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Amongst the sources of renewable energy that have been recognised as important are the contributions that are possible from growing biomass crops. In the UK, the most advanced biomass crops are short-rotation coppice (SRC) willow (Salix spp) and miscanthus grass (Miscanthus x giganteus). Both are fast growing perennials that are able to accumulate large amounts of combustable biomass is relatively short time periods with few chemical inputs. Several recent reviews and policy documents have confirmed the potential of biomass crops as a renewable energy source and a number of practical measures are now in place to support their expansion. Under such policy support, land conversion to biomass crops could expand significantly and this has raised questions concerning the potential impacts of such a land use change.

Compared with arable crops, biomass crops require typically minimal or even no nitrate fertilisers and no fungicides or insecticides. Herbicides are applied but mainly in the establishment of the crop and after cutback. However, biomass crops are much taller than traditional arable crops, they remain in the ground for long periods (up to 25 years), harvesting cycles are long for SRC willow (3-4 years) and harvesting normally takes place in late winter/early spring. These factors have potential implications for the visual appearance and character of the landscape, for farm and tourist income, and for the hydrology and biodiversity of the region.

Some potential impacts of converting land to energy crops, particularly SRC willow, have been researched but there are significant gaps of knowledge and it is also not yet clear how to balance decisions based on climate, soil and water availability, against possible impacts on biodiversity, landscape character, social acceptance and the rural economy. In recognition of this, a project was approved by the Cross-Council Rural Economy and Land Use (RELU) programme, entitled "The social, environmental and ecological implications of increasing rural land use under energy crops" (short title: RELU-Biomass; contract number RES-227-25-0020) which aims to integrate natural and social science studies to develop a scientific framework for Sustainability Appraisal (SA) of the medium and long term conversion of land to biomass crops.

RELU-Biomass provides a comprehensive platform upon which to assess the implications of increasing land use under energy crops. However, it was not possible to cover all aspects under the funding resources available. In particular, biodiversity assessments are very resource-intensive and focus was placed on a comparison of miscanthus and SRC willow with arable and, to a lesser extent, grassland, for established crops at the smaller field scale.

Biodiversity research in the farmscale evaluations (FSE) of genetically modified herbicide tolerant crops has shown that the management systems employed can affect changes in biodiversity, and that these management systems should be optimised to assure the highest biodiversity attainable. For biomass crops, management systems that will affect biodiversity include the scales of growing, within a landscape, and temporal effects including the crop age, time in the cutting cycle and timing of cutting. Presently there is only limited evidence upon which to draw up guidelines on these management systems and, given the rate at which plantings are increasing, it is clear that such data are urgently required.

This project aims to expand the evidence base on biodiversity in energy crops for policy development by determining how the biodiversity of miscanthus and SRC willow is affected by the spatial scale, structuring and management of the plantings. This will be done by sampling for the abundance and diversity of weeds and invertebrates using FSE-standard methods. The suitability of SRC willow and miscanthus crops for birdlife will also depend on the size of a continous planted area and the structure of the crop, and we will investigate the use of both biomass crops by birds in relation to cropping scale.

Specific objectives of the project are to:

• Evaluate, model and test predictions for weed and invertebrate biodiversity changes with the scale of planting;
• Measure the dynamics of biodiversity through the succession from previous crops to well established plantations;
• Manipulate the time of harvest to identify biodiversity impacts of cutting date, and
• Evaluate bird use of miscanthus in relation to scale and changes in vegetation structure.

Such data will build on the large data sets being collected in the recently approved RELU-Biomass project and will provide a comprehensive appraisal of biodiversity impacts of energy crops for use in planning and policy decisions on the expansion of these crops.

This project will run from 01/05/06 to 30/04/09

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The genetic improvement of miscanthus for biomass

Carbon-rich energy crops have high potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by replacing fossil fuels, since they are carbon neutral over their life cycle. Biomass power production can offer a significant contribution to meeting UK targets of 10% of energy from renewable sources by 2010. Renewable biomass supply chains also offer major opportunities in rural areas to enhance rural employment.

Miscanthus is an unusual C4 grass by growing extremely well in temperate climates, and having a higher yield potential than Short Rotation Coppice in favourable areas of the UK. Favourable characteristics for the crop's use in sustainable agriculture are the high nitrogen use efficiency resulting in lower nitrate leaching and improved groundwater quality and the ability to protect soil against erosion. The major factor for achieving an economically sustainable biomass supply chain is a large increase in commercial yields.

At present, the crop has high genetic vulnerability resulting from only three clones of M. x giganteus being used commercially. To address both issues, a Miscanthus genetic improvement programme is needed in the UK. Defra support of this programme is necessary as

• energy crops play an important role in government renewables policy
• this is a new crop in which the market is at a very early stage of development. Without this support, the potential of Miscanthus to become the prime perennial energy grass that will meet the need for a renewable energy supply chain from an annually harvested biomass crop cannot be exploited.
• it is line with Defra's market failure rationale for investing in crop genetic improvement research, which recognises that the market alone may fail to provide the incentives to provide the mechanisms by which Defra's objectives can be delivered
• it relates well to previous Defra investment in energy from Miscanthus such as the funding of collection of genetic resources and
• it is in line with Defra's objective of improving the sustainability of agriculture in terms of reducing the use of external inputs and adverse impacts on the environment whilst maintaining profitability.

This project will select Miscanthus accessions from national and international collections and identify promising genotypes for the breeding programme. We propose, for reasons given later, to take two complementary approaches:· The hybridisation and selection of diploid sinensis x sinensis accessions in order to

• identify diploid M.sinensis clones which are superior to the triploid 'X giganteus' in N. Europe
• explore the more economic seed propagation option
• produce parent material for use in the second approach. ·

The hybridisation of diploid and tetraploid germplasm to produce new sterile triploid hybrids superior to 'X giganteus'. In addition, the project will address improvement of breeding efficiency by:

• Identification of early morpho-physiological traits that can be used for prediction of productivity and persistence
• Examination of indirect measurement of chemical composition using FTIR, for quality traits.
• The production of large trait mapping populations and the identification of a realistic cost-effective roadmap to more efficient breeding through the development of marker-assisted selection.

In consultation with Defra, we will identify a trial network and exploitation route in UK and Europe, taking into account expertise in large-scale production and marketing.

Objective

Taking into account Miscanthus`s breeding system and general biology, the following breeding strategies will be adopted.

• Assessment of genetic resources available in UK and elsewhere for yield, canopy development, flowering time, over-wintering, and combustion quality.
• Hybridisation and selection based on general and specific combining ability of diploid sinensis x sinensis accessions using a priori knowledge and information from 1. The hypothesis is that diploid clones can be identified which are superior to the triploid `X giganteus` in N. Europe.
• Hybridisation of diploid and tetraploid accessions to produce new sterile triploid hybrids.
• Improvement of breeding efficiency based on early morpho-physiological prediction of productivity and persistence and the indirect measurement of chemical composition using FTIR.
• The production of large trait mapping populations and the identification of a realistic cost-effective roadmap to more efficient breeding through the development of marker-assisted selection.
• Identification with Defra of the exploitation route in UK and Europe, taking into account expertise in large-scale production and marketing.

Time-scale and Cost

• From: 01/04/04 to 31/03/09
• Cost: £1216K
• Funded Participants
  IGER, Inst. of Grasslands and Environment (BBSRC)
  Plant Research International

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National Miscanthus Germplasm Collection

Since the mid 1990s ADAS has assembled at its Arthur Rickwood Research Centre a field-grown collection of genotypes of miscanthus. This collection work has been largely funded by Defra in order to support taxonomic research, and has included collections from European sources as well as collection visits to Japan, Korea and China. Since April 2003 the collection of genotypes has been maintained by Bio-Renewables Ltd, the specialist ADAS group undertaking an in-house miscanthus improvement programme.

Miscanthus is a cane-like perennial grass which is now being exploited in the UK for renewable energy production and fibre markets. The amount of miscanthus grown currently may exceed 2,000 hectares and may expand rapidly within the next five years. However, the entire commercial crop in the UK is based upon one sterile triploid genotype. Consequently this narrow genetic base renders energy and fibre markets susceptible to crop loss through pest and disease action and also indicates that the industry is working with unimproved, and thus sub-optimal, genetic material - the benefits of formalised crop improvement to diversify the genetic base and improve yield and adaptation of the crop are clear. The purpose of this work is to assist in the maintenance of living field specimens of all miscanthus genotypes in the collection, in order that they might;

• represent a resource available to researchers interested in various facets of the miscanthus genus, including but not limited to crop improvement.
• be shared amongst researchers
• enable replication and multiplication of the material for the purpose of its conservation.
• represent a permanent record of miscanthus genetic diversity

In compliance with the principles of the Convention on Biological Diversity, BRL will make the collection of genotypes available to other research groups with an interest in Miscanthus, and therefore seeks support to maintain the collection. The living collection held by BRL at ADAS Arthur Rickwood currently consists of 209 genotypes of many species including M. sinensis, M. x giganteus, M. sacchariflorus and M. floridulus.

The nature of the work will be the maintenance of the germplasm collection to international standards for germplasm conservation, provision of collection information (provision for curation of the database with passport and characterisation (phenotypic and genotypic) data that was collected for the accessions under Defra-funded projects), routine agronomic husbandry of the plots holding the genotypes, record keeping and remedial actions to control genotype ingress, moisture stress etc€. It will also enable the tracking of requests for material and the administrative effort necessary for continued compliance with the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Objective

• Maintenance of the living collection of miscanthus genotypes at ADAS Arthur Rickwood collected with Defra funding, in compliance with international standards.
• Curation of the database
• Material transfer; Monitoring of transfers to ensure compliance with CBD and existing Material Transfer Agreements.

This project ran from 01/04/04 to 31/03/06

Contacts

Contact

• Non-food crops / DEFRA Non-Food Crops Research / UNITED KINGDOM